Mulally and the company have repeatedly suggested he will remain with the auto maker, but it’s hard to imagine that the topic won’t come up — at least on the sidelines. Mike Ramsey reports:

Ford has planned for Mr. Mulally’s exit since last November, when the company named Mark Fields, 52, to become its operating chief, setting up a clear successor. Mr. Fields took over many of Mr. Mulally’s responsibilities. At that time, Ford said Mr. Mulally would stay through at least 2014. The speculation surrounding the move to Microsoft, however, may have sped up the timetable for his departure, said two people familiar with the matter.